Explores how the richmond, virginia native overcame class barriers to win three of the four grand slam tennis tournaments. This hourlong program was hosted by the Virginia Historical society. Mr. Talkov virginias own arthur ash was the worlds best tennis player. The u. S. Open, the australian open, and wimbledon. He was also deeply committed to human rights. And civil rights causes. Most known what, the movement in south africa. His career as an athlete and activist, straddling the civil rights and black power movements, ashe fought against racism and injustice from the Political Center and welcome to public and private debate. Our speaker today will explore asheearly lifes will explore is an and Eric Allen Hall assistant history professor at Georgia Southern university, where he teaches courses on the history of Popular Culture and africanAmerican History. And native of suburban chicago heat, he earned a ba in history from the st. Josephs college in and phd from the never the from purdue university. Of arthur asked, entitled arthur ashe tennis and justice in the civil rights 2014 bys published in John Hopkins University press. Focuses on the intersection of popular and political culture, particularly the relationship between sports and the black Freedom Movement. So please join me in giving a warm welcome to eric hall. [applause] professor hall professor hall professor hall good will and is you think he is that he invited us is fifth in the necessary on your during the family obligations and at least a couple days, to allow me to be here. I want to again by talking about the organization of my presentation. What im going to do is focus mostly on his life here in richmond and in richburg, but i want to begin with his death in 1993. And then transition and talk a little bit about the history of africanamerican athletes, especially in the 20th century. And then spend the bulk of my time talking about richmond and vicksburg. And then leave ample time at the end for any questions you might have. Orther it is civil rights activism, or his work as another, whatever you want to talk about, i am happy to talk about. So lets begin sort of with the end. , his look at ashes bearing, his funeral. Because i think we can learn a lot about somebodys life by looking at the ways in which they were remembered, especially at Something Like his funeral. The Virginia State flags at half staff on november 9, 1993 on the order of douglas wilder. I was before sunset on a cold and rainy winter day, rich and poor, white and black, men and women, liberals and conservatives all lined the streets of downtown richmond to pay their final respects to arthur ashe, a man they remembered as an international activist, a World Champion tennis player, a teacher, a writer, a husband, and a father. Many who attended the wake and the Funeral Services had no interest in sports and many had never played had never played tennis or watched tennis. One woman braved the winter cold to honor arthur ashe as a crusader, someone would risk his own career and reputation to help others. Nelson mandela agreed. Following his own relays from prison after almost 30 years in captivity, a reporter asked him who in the United States do you most want to see . Arthur ashe was his unequivocal reply. One africanamerican professional standing in line described ashe as a role model for black youths. Me it is ok to aspire. It is ok to be articulate. I never had an older brother. Instead i had a hero. A Richmond City councilman compared the loss to that of john f. Kennedy and Martin Luther king junior. Bc a faces and mind to pay respects the sea of faces in line to pay respects demonstrated the universality of ashes message, wrote the local press. Evening, thee first of more than 5000 mourners passed by his coffin, surrounded by large floral displays. Bluedressed in a navy blazer and a tropical colored tie appeared peaceful and at rest. Visitors left behind all kinds of things for ashe. One left behind an old tennis ball. Another inscribed the american fight. Others bouquets. So long, arthur, whispered one guest. The struggle continues. Quote, he waste, black, i was white. He was a worldclass celebrity, i was just a guy from his hometown paper. But there were no barriers, no veneer to separate us. I have a feeling that is how he separate dealt with anyone who was fortunate enough to know him. The next day, a line began to form outside of the f on accenture in North Richmond six hours before the funeral. They waited, wrote one reporter, dotting the sidewalks like the bright flowers arranged outside the ashe center. They leaned against rental trucks, stood on the crowded roads. They carried cameras and babies, video cameras and puppies. They took annual leave from state jobs or simply shut down their businesses. Former tennis player stan smith and charlie, along with rod laver, joint senators bill bradley. The new york city mayor and the reverend jackson reverend jesse jackson. We shall songs like overcome, the anthem of the Civil Rights Movement. Along with songs like when the saints go marching in. The eulogies at the funeral or powerful. Ashe arthur ashe was just plain better. Most athletes, jackson explained, limits themselves to achievements and contributions within the lines, but arthur found greatness be on the lines. Governor wilder noticed how arthur ashe used every cover of his strength. When the service concluded, the eight housewares guided his casket pallbearers guided his casket into the hearse. I think if you look at the the funeral of arthur ashe, you really get a sense of what he meant to people. Not just as an athlete, but as somebody who fought for human and civil rights causes. Somebody who was a humanitarian, who stood up for education reform in other areas throughout his life. But [no audio] it is important to kind of look back at the context of other africanamerican athletes of the 20th century. That is what i want to do just for a second tier. For a second here. Historians and journalists have often categorized or attempted to categorize black athletes in the 20th century in one of two ways. On the one side, you have what these historians have called the combination this. Athletes combinationists. Joe lewis on the top left. Athletes who played hard, broke records, and achieved celebrity stardom, but they mostly silent on the issues of race. Of course, this is going to change with joe lewis later, but especially in the 1930s, he was mostly silent on the issue of race. These prominent men and women contributed to the black cause by winning on the field and serving as positive role models for blacks and whites. They chose to pioneer through their performances. That thence wrote difference between me and Jackie Robinson is that he thrived on his will as a negro battling for equality whereas i shy away from it. That man read me correctly. Side, the perceived radicals and militants. People like bill russell, top left. Jim brown, top right. And mohammed ali on the bottom right. As our athletes that use their celebrity as a platform for social and political activism. And nobody personifies this category better than mohammed alli. The superbly talented boxer who changed his name, of course, from caches clay to mohammed ali. Ali inspired workingclass africanamericans by defying what america by joining the nation of islam and by refusing to fight in the vietnam war. Part of what i argue in the book is that this kind of either or approach to classify black really doesnt take into consideration or consider how other africanamerican sportsmen, perhaps the majority of academic and sportsmen, responded to racism, the Civil Rights Movement, the black power movement, and are spotted in more moderate ways. What i suggested that asked for a much responded a nuanced ways to these various movement. Sort of who was 202 7488001 for . Who was arthur ashe . Let me hit on some of the main achievement. , as is a picture of ashe little that younger than what we are accustomed to seeing. Very thin and i can his early days. Who was ashe . He was one of the Top International tennis players in and and between 1966 1975. He won the u. S. Open in 1968, the austrian open in 1970, and wimbledon in 1975 where he defeated Jimmy Connors in a huge upset. As a player and as a captain in the 1980s, he led the u. S. Davis cup team to multiple titles and he won many other tennis titles and many, many other titles along the way. One writer, the fairness the famous jammer said anybody who wouldnt watch arthur ashe play tennis wouldnt watch picasso paint. No because him art, but he is. Nobody calls him art, but he is. My book focuses more on ashe off the court than on the court could off the court and in the arena of international politics, he positioned him really at the center of the black Freedom Movement. Historians use the term black Freedom Movement to conflate a variety of ideas, such as the sole rights movement, the black power movement, the black Conscious Movement in south africa. What i argue is that he really struggled at times and was more successful at other times at negotiating those polls of the movement, polls that include assimilation into White Society and black nationalism. Fiercely independent and protective of his public image, line. Ed rode that thin what i found consistently in doing my research is that he was criticized from both ends of the political spectrum with frequency. Critics would either occur accuse him of doing too much for the movement, or not enough for the movement. In 1992, Sports Illustrated recognized he was batted from both sides. So i suggest that his evolving approach to activism, something i want to emphasize, is that it really a vault over his life. He was never static and his views. It was located somewhere between moderate and militant integration is on. That he relied on patients pa tience, but not too much patience. Likely to action was succeed. Like most ordinary africanamericans, ashe adopted tenants of the Civil Rights Movement in arriving at his own form. His career really spans the civil rights and black power aeros, unlike many, many athletes of the past. And embracingo lack empowerment, ashe practiced nonviolent. He grew with the black Freedom Movement. Stepi want to do now is back here and talk a little bit about ashes Early Experiences in richmond and lynchburg. Talk about some of his formative challenges and i want to kind of tell that in some ways through anecdotes. Stories and experiences growing up in virginia. Personal journey began right here in richmond. Theas born in 1943 in middle of the second world war. And growing up in africanamerican in richmond presented a series of richard racial challenges. There have been a number of historians who have looked at cities like richmond, looked at cities in the south and what they have argued is that places like richmonds north side early made of districts of communities, excuse me, that were connected to the wealthier white neighborhoods. They were essentially separate cities. Although some of these historians announce greater racial cradle greater residential fluidity than other cities, they contend that the citys white leaders never reached out to middle class blacks. Leaving it a separate city isolated by race and geography. For a young arthur ashe, Racial Discrimination was a part of everyday life. And this is how he talked about it. He said, i never thought much about it. Life was that way. There were certain theaters i couldnt go to, certain soda fountains and playgrounds that went for me. There was no fuss about it. Anymore than you would make a fuss if you couldnt get into a movie studio because he didnt know the right people. People in richmond just took segregation for granted. I dont remember any racial unrest there. Good bit, there was a of racial unrest in the 1940s and 1950s. Particularly in the campaign to integrate hubbert transportation. And later, he does talk about particular incidents that he remembers. One of which occurred on a city bus in the late 1940s or early 1950s. Where ashe experienced firsthand the reality of segregated seating. He and his mother would sometimes board the bus on chamberlin avenue, the unofficial divide between black and white neighborhoods, and exit the shopping district to visit his grandma. In getting on the bus in richmond, just like most towns in the south, was an instant reminder of his place. He says, i can clearly recall the white line on the floor of the bus. It was just to the front of the rear door and i understood that i was required to stay behind it. I dont remember discussing. It was just understood. Although despite his familiarity with the white line, he did challenge the racial hierarchy on at least one occasion. His aunt once recalled in a taperecorded interview how he stood up for his mother one time on the bus in the late 1940s. After boarding the bus and realizing that there were no Seats Available in the front or the back of the bus, ashe in a characteristically polite arthur ashe fashion asked a white man to give up a seat for his mother. He could have been verbally, physically abused for such a request, but instead, the man looked at him and his mother and said, if you have the nerve to ask me to get up and give your mother a seat, im going to give her my seat. s bold act revealed a willingness to challenge the status quo, but in certain situations. He was very good at sizing up his opponent. Of seeing who would be best to challenge and who would be best not to challenge. It foreshadows his strategy of caution. And i think he gets a lot of a lot of ashes eventual sort of philosophy in some ways skip ahead here little bit comes from his father. And i want to talk about his relationship with his father for a second. Unlike arthur ashe seniors two sons, who spent many of their days in other places, arthur ashe senior had to work throughout his adolescence. He was a jack of all trades. He would remove weeds from guidance, clean houses, collect wood for families, do whatever needed to be done to make ends meet. He attended public schools. Often taking night classes with other day laborers so they could work during the day. At 16, he accepted a job as a Maintenance Man for the Richmond Railroad and eventually took the same job for the city. And he was never one to remain idle. Never one to ruby to be acceptance accepting of a single job. This is where we get sort of the second anecdote that i want to discuss. In a city, as i mentioned, dont for racial division, ashe senior defended a number of white men and women in the 1930s and 1940s, some of whom helped to finance his sons tennis career later sons tennis career later on. Drove him toon, he the edge of the city to purchase a piece of land. The depression had nearly bankrupted the seller, but despite the mans desperate need to sell his property, he was reluctant to sell his land to a jew. You shouldve heard the man, his sonshe senior told is later, he calls them also to things. He never said a word. When the man finished all the ranting and raving, they closed the deal. Seniordrive home, ashe was sort of perplexed by this and he asked how could you tolerate all those insults without changing your disposition . And he responded, look, i cannot here to buy that land and the end result is i got the land. He concurs me out all he likes. Ashe senior lender in important lesson that they that he typed a pass on to his son. No matter what people would take to you, he would tell ashe and his brother, johnny, the matter how much they would try to make you feel inferior, you must always keep that angle in mind. Later on the tennis court, his strategy translated nicely for ashe, ignoring racial slurs from spectators or bad calls from white linesman. He would focus on the most important thing, winning the match. And i want to talk a little bit about the relationship between ashe and his father and particular ways in which his father protected him from some of the dangers that youths growing up in jim crow america may have had to experience. Ashe senior knew that the south was a dangerous place for black youths. In 1950 five, emmett till, a 14yearold African American from chicago visiting relatives in the mississippi delta was kidnapped from his uncles home, killed, thrown in the tallahatchie river. And many, many africanamerican youths, this comes up repeatedly for historians in research. Tills murder was a stark reminder of what could happen if you looked at something and the wrong way. Ashe said, my father tried to keep us out of harms way and the possibility of harm was real. We all know what happened to emmett till, whose death in 1955 cast a shadow over my youth and that of virtually all black kids in richmond and no doubt across america. In part to avoid what happened senior kept a very close eye on his sons. He was stern, he was unequivocal, his methods of discipline bordering on overprotective. Day at the baker street grammar school, for instance, ashe senior walked with him to the schools entrance. That heer commanded returned home exactly 10 minutes after dismissal, not a second later. Ashe senior was an oldfashioned is binary and, a man who would not tolerate insubordination from his sons. His view of the world in terms of his childbearing little room for nuance. On the very few occasions when ashe returned home late, got forgot to do a household chore, his father ordered him to retrieve his, quote, first quality, i felt for a beating. Ashe in an interview just before ashe died in 1983, he gave an interview in which he revealed while into his 20s and 30s he honestly believed that if i got i got out of if line, my father would kick my ass. He was arrested twice, once in 1980 he talks about the decision on he still kind of thought about it a lot. Commandments, that is what he called them, commandments, would remain busy and productive at all times. There would be no hanging around, he would instructed. Ashe had plenty to do at home. Including making his bed, cleaning his room, feeding the dogs, chopping wood for the fireplace. Once you finish those, he would devote his time to his schoolwork. At his father insisted that he read, that he do his work well, that he become really the best reader in school. If he you knew anything about ashe, he was someone who would read voraciously throughout his entire life. Books that you government reports, also its of studies, things like that. Said thether following, i try to impress upon arthur and old saying a woman who raised me and south hill once told me. Eye and aa seeing listening ear, a silent tongue and a fearful heart, time and patience will accomplish everything. You can see how that manifests itself later in ashes korea. While ashe is under the watchful eye of his father, he is also becoming quite a good tennis player. He begins playing tennis very early in his life. He lives to play on the courts of work field park. He was not permitted to play in the other part. I think i have a slide here. Of of a postcard the park. I think around the 1950s. It shows you it is designed to show how nice the park is, but when i showed this to my students, and other lectures i give, i ask them to look at the people in the pool and see if they can see anything in common there. Usually even the slowest was generally do pretty well with this. It was not for people of color. There were ways to keep people out beyond simply telling them that they were black. One of the biggest ones in tennis was that if you sent in money to participate in a tournament or sent in your registration, they would say that your registration came too late. But they never got the check or that sort of thing. There were kind of sneakier ways to keep people out. So ashe learned to play learned from a young local college star. Eventually, ashe caught the attention of dr. Walter robert and head ofofficer the Junior Development program. On the left is johnsons home in lynchburg, now an historical site. The Tennis Courts would have been there in the back. Would every summer, for quite a number of years, attend johnsons Junior Development program to kind of learn tennis, learn about how to survive in a world alien to people of color and the working class. Basically a lesson in life, complete with a proper code of conduct. Failure to follow dr. Johnsons rules at this camp would result in a swift dismissal. A fact which ashe quickly discovered during his first three days. When johnsons son, bobby, who is assisting his father, try to teach ashe the eastern and western racket grips, ashe refused to learn, believing that his mentor had already taught him the appropriate grip. Bobbyt taking any shit, remembered, telling the young man, if you want him to d2, what are you go home . The elder johnson learned of ashes stubborn behavior and phone his father, who immediately drove to lynchburg. After talking with johnson, ashe senior approached his son and told him, dr. Johnson is teaching you now, arthur junior. You do it they say. It was that simple, ashe recalled. I was obeyed my father. Johnson and his son never had any more trouble with me. To tell you the truth, he said, i really didnt change the grip on my backend that much. Backhand that much. Resembling an army boot camp, johnsons program was rigorous and demanding. Players begin the day by making their beds before attending to a variety of choice, including trimming the boxwoods, weeding the god and the garden, and cleaning up after the dogs. Before graduating to a tennis racket when they werent doing chores, each player had to show proficiency with a broom handle, which was a drill designed to improve hand i quit a nation. Then they would serve 50 times a day from a spot offering strategies to navigate the segregated world of the south. The predominantly white upperclass world of competitive tennis, johnsons ,eoples had to be competitive and know when to fight, and more importantly, know when to walk away. Johnson based his strategies and ideas on another example, Jackie Robinson, a great majorleague baseball player with the brooklyn dodgers. There were other great black Baseball Players that they could have chosen, they chose robinson for a particular reason. Robinson remained calm and composed, at least for a couple to dors, allowing his bat the talking. Jacksons players had to imitate robinson, he believes, because tournament officials will look for any reason to disqualify them. On the court, he ordered to play to shot within two inches avoid being accused of cheating. The players ignored, as best as they could, racial appeti slurst wer directed their way. It is hard to find a moment where you see him displaying any kind of emotion whatsoever on the tennis court. His assumption, asked role of dr. Johnson, was that if you wanted to get into a poker game, and there was only one game in town, you better learn by the prevailing rules of the table. Johnson told the reporter, for the washington post, i cant use the boy unless he can control his emotions. Johnson was very aware of not only making these players better to compete on the court with my players, but also teaching the ways to go about doing that. The rest they say, for arthur ashe, is history. I want to go through some of these individual slides and talk for a few seconds, before i finish with concluding remarks. These are slides that i included for particular reasons. Hes bettershowsas serves. He almost play tennis opposite the way his personality was beer he was kind of all over the place as a tennis player, but had one of the quickest and fastest serves, a very intimidating player. The left is the backhand, he had incredible backhand. He had been taught early on by his mentor that the backhand was the easiest stroke to learn to engage. His back and was something he relied on throughout his career. Ashes a picture of tennis team at the university of los angeles. With the exception of one other player, it is a team made up of mostly white players. ,ennis was there a very white at least at the collegiate level , in the 1950s. Morgan, and the top right, is the tennis coach at ucla. The led his team to National Championship in 1965 and the Team Championship in 1965 as well. If you wanted to play tennis and college, they were two places. Ufc and ucla. He was recruited to one of the best programs in the country. There was times when the team was invited to different was ashes name excluded. This is a picture of ashe, embracing his father, at the u. S. Open. He became the first winter in 1968 and first amateur in 1968 gearing it was the first year that the u. S. Championships, the u. S. Nationals were an open tournament. , where i two pictures focus the majority of my attention in the book, where i antiapartheid work from 1969 until the end of his life. These are two pictures taken outside of johannesburg in 1973, when he makes a visit there. You see him interacting with inal youths living there the slums. This was a very contested visit. They were yelled militants who accused him of selling out by going to south africa, by engaging with the white government. There were others that went very happy that he was there, and willing to engage in conversations with black locals, and visit townships outside of the central city. Moment his most famous on the tennis court, certainly what my students talk about, his victory over Jimmy Connors in 1975 at wimbledon. Reporter said coming into wimbledon, he had about as good of a chance as ice cream in a furnace to be connors. He really planned well for connors. He almost approach it the way it is fastball would throw junk at their opponent. Yo game andyou you ge outsmarted his opponent. Africanamericans are characterized as being on intellectual. The way to be at the is outsmarted them. This was a case where he out strategized and a moment and op opponent. Ahe was also involved in number of activities, way too many to mention here today. On the top left, testifying before the united nations. He was one of the founders of artists and athletes against the apartheid. You see other people there, harry belafonte, and others as well. On the bottom right, he is arrested in 1985, following a demonstration outside the South African embassy. It will be the first time he is arrested, but not the last time. Of course, when i asked my peoples, when i asked what they know about arthur ashe, they tell me he is a tennis player that died of aids. Is apartheid activist absent. This is when he revealed to the world in 1982 that he was not only hivpositive, but suffering. Rom fullblown aids he would die about one year later. He was named the Sports Illustrated sportsman of the year. Before i conclude, i want a finish with two things. The first, i want to emphasize a few things that i found interesting in my research, and stuck with me, and continue with me. Was one of thehe most deeply intellectual individuals that i have ever come across as an historian. Not just as an athlete, but as an individual. He was a voracious reader. He met all kinds of things beer he read newspapers, activity books, he wrote government reports. He fred monographs color things that i could not pay students to read these days. He had this great intellectual curiosity. He loved to engage in any kind of intellectual back and forth with people. I think, perhaps most importantly, he really understood the issues. He could engage in debates with quote on quote ordinary people. R with professors that thisgh to tell was a former athlete. He could have been a professor, in fact, he did teach a couple point. Ege classes at one the other, he lived in a challenging time. A time when you cannot afford to make a statement or take a stance on an issue. And in 1968, the same year as Bobby Kennedys assassination, Martin Luther kings assassination, the riots. His career really extended into black power, where Mainstream Media would show these images of black panthers and oakland or Stokely Carmichael giving speeches throughout the United States. Involved asally that movement evolved. I want to end with a question i have been asked by frequently, when i have that appearances, lectures, and things like that. The question i am always asked think aboutd ashe all the recent acts of disobedience on the courts and fields of american sports. What do you think of these athletes taking a stand on the recent events in ferguson, baltimore, cleveland, and other places. What would he make of that . This isalways respond a very difficult question to answer. Im not arthur ashe. Wasow more or less what he thinking at certain times during his career, but he died in 1993, and his views would have likely evolved since 1993. In late 1960s, he isked and have r. Rrest at protest he would have appreciated athletes, or anybody for that taking a stand, regardless of what that step would be. In general, he preferred individuals, athletes, who would take any kind of stand, rather than to stand at all. When the South African golfer was asked about apartheid, he would not want to comment. Ashe would say in the press, if he is in favor of apartheid, i would rather know that than him not answer the question at all. Generally did not support on core demonstrations throughout his career. You cant think of a moment in which he engaged in major direct action on the tennis court itself. He would engage in activism behind the scenes, in press conferences, or meetings. Thingk the most important , and the thing i keep coming back to overtime is that ashe would have encouraged athletes today. Whoever may be. To really study the issues at the heart of whatever the are, to focus on larger issues at hand. Issues of poverty, high employment rate, Police Community relations, access to community. And, they should be wellversed makeose topics before they a stand. Or if they do, they should be able to answer questions with. Ubstance on different issues with that said, i thank you very much for listening to me. Im happy to entertain any questions you may have about any s life. F arthur ashe is [applause] [indiscernible] hall he did. He was stationed at west point as a data processor. He talks about that experience fairly vividly, especially receiving phone calls from a number of parents who had died in the vietnam war, hearing their stories. Yes, there was a time that he spent coaching at west point. Richmond,enager in when he was basically unknown by rs, but and i for example of his character, he a phone and said, i state 18e to play in undetermined. He let two or three days go by, and arthur called him back, and , he saids professional to him, did you know i was black . He spit all over himself and said, no. He said, i will not cause you any embarrassment, i would be glad to a draw. He said, please do, i will lose my job. It, a fewuld have days later, the state of West Virginia had an 18 and under tennis tournament. The best white tennis player in er whoia, a richmond will stay unnamed, played arthur 61, and ashe beat him 61, 61. [laughter] you spoke of his relationship with his father. As he became more active in civil rights and apartheid issues later on, how did that relationship evolve and change . Hall i think part of the relationship with his father, when he was younger is that his father knew he was young and not in any position of power. He didnt have any platform at , based on astand up number of the issues. As he grew, as he started to win tournaments, and become a national player, as he started to establish this platform for activism, his father understood that he could do good is speaking out on these issues. I do get the sense they had a very strong relationship throughout their lives. He continued to rely on his throughout. Nsel i did not get the sense that his father disapproves of any of his activism for the most part. His activism was very measured by the standards of today. He would rather go and meet with to talk aboutbm their hiring policies in south africa, rather than stand on the Street Corner with a sign. He would insist on meeting with people whenever he could, as opposed to direct action campaign. I know that his father would be angry with him there was an instance where he walked off in the court. His father didnt really agree with that method. You get the sense that throughout the remainder of their life, his father is very understoodm, and that he had to do what he did. Presentation, professor hall. Audited to have been a friend and classmate of at the mercy of california los angeles. He ranks amongst to others at apogee of athletes who contributed to humanity. I am glad that you mention his goter, and that you finally to his army service. Arthur ashe, one of the titles that he most deserves his is patriot. He served on active duty, when he didnt have to. I asked him, why . My father always told me it was my duty. [applause] professor hall he had a deep Family History of relatives who have served in the army. He had relatives that served in world war ii. His brother served in the vietnam war. He talked about, he mentioned this repeatedly, he loved playing for the Davis Cup Team. Whenever you score a point, it. S point usa in some ways, thats why he liked john mcenroe because he really was similar to him in that he played for the Davis Cup Team because he wanted to play his country, and not for the amount of money that he could make clear his service is something that is often not talked about so much in pieces done on him. They tend to talk about his tennis career, his olympic victory, and the fact that he died of aids. I am dr. Johnsons granddaughter, who was originally from d. C. , but i wanted to say that i thank you for sharing that part of the story. There are many stories be on that to pursue. I also am a benefactor of your siblings and i played a very cap everysummer very camp summer. [applause] he and fact sent home one of my brothers because he had that mcenroe enthusiasm. [laughter] thank you. Great story. I feel that the story is not story the depth of the was not explored as much as it could have been. I appreciate your thoughts. [applause] hall i should mention two books, now that i think of it. The book of john wooden, and one academic that is a pretty good read. There is a biography of dr. Johnson by doug smith, the writer for usa today, how well it is done, i dont know. Work needshistorical to be done on him. He was a mentor, not only for arthur ashe, but for someone else, which people dont talk about. And many others. Many africanamerican athletes speak about the influence of their mother on them. You havent mentioned anything about his mother. Professor hall part of that is because she passed away when he was very young, when he was five years old. Actually, there was some people sportswriter john mcphee in his fatherlooked at and mother, and said, he had a lot more in common with his of personality. His mother really encouraged him to read, and not just superman or comic books, but important things. Ashe did notpart, have the Strong Female mentors that you tend to see in a lot of these athletes. Because his mother passed away so soon, and his father praised him, eventually his father would remarry, but growing up, he father asys cite his a mentor, dr. Johnson, poncho gonzales, jd morgan. His mother, unfortunately, died too early. Arthur ashe wrote a memoir , and wasys of grace assisted by a man who was one of my english professors at the mercy of virginia when i was a graduate student in the 1970s. He was a brilliant man. He will biography of Jackie Robinson and links to accuse. Im wondering, how did he get to know arthur ashe, or how was that connection made so that he assisted him in the writing of the memoir . Did you interview him for your book . Professor hall i was not able to interview him. There was a time where he was going to be on campus somewhere i was going to be purdue, or Something Like that. It turned out that i could not make it we kind of missed each other. Sure of thectly specific story and how they met. I know that ashe, in the 1980s, was very much in touch with the black intelligence. He would have many friends, henry louis gates, and others. My guess is that he would have made that connection either through a talk he gave on campus, or in interaction at an event. He considered professors, and people africanamerican scholars among his close group of friends. Im guessing that is where the introduction to, but im not sure exactly. Great presentation. How did the attitude of the city of richmond towards its native son, arthur ashe, change through 1950s, 19 60s, 1970s, and as he became more accepted and popular and jim crow and segregation and it . And i ended . Growing up in richmond, dealing with segregation, and the problems of being a person of color in the city, he talked about leaving richmond for st. Louis in 1961, not looking back in the rearview mirror, wanting to leave behind the negative aspects of richmond that he remembered, and find is better place. I think his reconciliation with richmond happened in the 1960s. There is an arthur ashe day in 1966, when people come out to support him. I think very gradually, over time, he kind of comes to appreciate some of the good aspects of the community of richmond, and sees the benefactors that have helped him along the way, and understand that richmond, like many southern towns, is a complicated place for a person of color. Some of theaw strides that were made in town. By the time of his death, he fully reconciled with the city. Wondering, where their other sports that arthur tried before he settled on tennis . Yes. Ssor hall he was a big baseball fan, and actually a very good baseball player. He tried to play baseball for his High School Baseball team. He was a very fast runner, and good player. At one point, the principle of his high school took him outside. He said, come on down to meet with the principal. The principal told him, you are not the play any sports other than tennis for this high School Moving forward. If you hurt yourself, you will be no good for us on the tennis court. We have enough black Baseball Players at this point, we do not have any black tennis players they are at the elite level. [laughter] good afternoon. My name is gary flowers. I agree with dr. Johnsons granddaughter that we appreciate your presentation, but it could have been a lot more indepth. I was fortunate to have a fron y father put a tennis racket in my hand. It was arthur ashe is tennis that tookbattery park a lot of kids off of the street and expose them to a sport outside of the traditional baseball, football, and basketball. I think that should have been explored today. [applause] hall there are all kinds of stories of when he was an active tennis player, and when he retired, and was going into communities and working with children, and people of, and teaching the game of tennis to children that really were not experienced with it. I grew up playing basketball, or football, or whatever if there was this effort to teach africanamericans to teach draw interest into a sport that was quite frankly embarrassing as far as its racial makeup. Excellent presentation. I wanted to ask you, who were s best friends . Did you interview people like donald dell and stan smith about having come through the ranks of the tennis world with arthur ashe . Professor hall he had a number of friends that cap coming out. Donald l was a big one who was captain, and turned into his manager and close confidant. He is someone who traveled with ashe to the south africa, and was someone who is very much an advisor for him. He took some slack for that was a whiteld dell man. Some argued, why you hiring a white manager to run your career . He would point to his credentials. When he was married, in the late 1970s, his wife jean took on that role as his number one, not an advisor and who he went to, more than anyone else, for advice. Isond that, stan smith obviously a great friend of his. They were very active together. They did goodwill towards ours together. There is a story with stan smith in africa. The was being applauded by population, they were in tanzania at the time, and smith was soaking, and said, everywhere we go, i have the evil white man. Ashe said, would we go to the south, you can be the great white hero. Even in south africa, cliff friend. Was a bill bradley is someone he would have a beer with. He got along fairly well with people, and really had very diverse groups of friends. Thank you all very much. [applause] you are watching American History tv, all weekend, every weekend on cspan 3. To join the conversation, like us on facebook. American history tv is featuring cspans original series, first ladies influence an image, sunday nightfor the remainder of the year. Through conversations with experts, video tours of historic sites, and questions from cspans audience, we tell the stories of americas 45 first ladies. Now, ellen and